A playful, baseball-themed first-day-of-school adventure! Wake up, Sluggers. It’s time to . . . Batter up for the first day of school! It’s the first day of school at Grand Slam Elementary, and there is much to do before the Twins can step up to the plate! After putting on their uniforms, fueling up for the day, and doing an equipment check, the kids are ready to slide into first period. Opening day is full of curveballs, but the innings fly by until the kids return to home base, excited to do it all again tomorrow! With plenty of punny prose and playful baseball terms, this humorous read-aloud is the perfect way to get little sluggers ready for the first day of school. ★ "This is a peppy first day of school story to knock game-day jitters out of the park." — School Library Journal , starred review Bethany Hegedus is an award-winning author of picture books and middle grade novels, including Grandfather Gandhi and Alabama Spitfire . A former educator, she teaches widely and enjoys mentoring young writers. Hegedus is the owner and creative director of the Writing Barn, a writing workshop and retreat center. She lives with her family in Austin, Texas. You can visit her online at BethanyHegedus.com or follow her on Instagram @Bethany.Hegedus. Nomar Perez is a Puerto Rican illustrator, author, and designer for children. He has earned several awards for his work, including the Pura Belpre Honor for his author-illustrator debut, Coqui in the City . He studied computer animation and painting at Bowling Green State University. He lives in Ohio. You can visit him online at NomarPerez.com and follow him on Instagram @Nomars_Illustration.